Entering Races - Shop Local

Original article written by Autumn Blackmill posted 3 months 3 weeks ago

This is the second in my series on entering your horses into races that they can win or consistently place in.

There is a tendency, at least in my experience in my own barn, to ship horses far and wide to fill that perfect race. But let’s face it, if you don’t win or run second, odds are you’re not going to make much money and you might even be paying more than you can make back. So what do you do?

*Staying in State-Breds
If you have a horse who is eligible for state-bred races, park them at a farm in that state and do not move them out of that state unless absolutely necessary. This way you are only paying the lowest amount to ship your horse to and from the races, cutting down on costs. I think you’ll find that some states have a very strong state-bred incentive, and you’ll find anything from maidens, to allowance, to claimers, to listed stakes all well within your grasp. There’s no sense in shipping halfway around the world to run 5th in a maiden, when you can run 5th in a maiden right next door and not pay out so much to the shipping company.

*Staying within a Circuit
What is a circuit? Well it’s a group of tracks that make up an area. Some are quite broad like “All Weather”, and those wont do you much good. But the more specific you can get, the closer the tracks will be to each other, and the more options you have for entering your horse. Finding a farm near the heart of a circuit might do you well, as you can ship to any of the tracks within that circuit for a cheaper rate than shipping from one side to the other. All this to say, that finding a circuit that has a lot of races for your horse, and that isn’t completely swamped with entries, will benefit you a ton. Take the time to notice which areas of the world have races with only 5 or 6 horses in them, or even less. If you stick to these areas, your shipping is cheaper if not at the minimum, and you only need to beat a horse or two to earn a check.

I use this a lot myself. One year I made 22k in a season off of a Solid galloping gelding because I parked him next to a track that I knew would have 4 or 5 horse maiden fields. And I made another 20k in a season with a Productive galloping filly who I sent to a less popular circuit and had her run in the shorter maiden fields at the various tracks there. Were we winning? No. But we were hitting the board darn near every time and bringing home $2.7 to $5.5k each time we did. And with shipping being very minimal, it was nearly all profit.

*Don’t Get Impatient
There may be times when you realize the circuit you are in wont have a race for your horse 2 weeks after its last race. I would encourage you to wait, as often times there will be another race 3 weeks out. Your horse will thank you for the break, and if the break exceeds 3 weeks then a little gallop will set them on the right track fitness wise. But to move your horse just because the next race isn’t timed exactly how you want it is a bit rash, unless of course you have spotted a better circuit with more to offer you in terms of races.

---

Back to New Players articles